Annealing of starch - a review.

Annealing processes, involving specific heating protocols, have been used by man for centuries to impart desirable properties to materials - especially metals and particularly tools and weapons. The terminology has also been applied to biopolymers such as starches, where the effects of the processing have been known for decades although the molecular basis has not been at all well understood. Because of the marked effect the annealing process has on starch functionality and consequently industrial applications, it is critical that the underlying molecular events are understood. This review is an attempt to clarify the process of starch annealing with an emphasis on data generated in the authors' laboratory.